1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to mop heads and, more particularly, to a mop head construction including means for fastening a removable scuff pad on the mop head.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
The use of string mops in floor care is well known. These mops are typically used either in cleaning the floor of loose materials, stains and dirt prior to polishing of the floor, or in stripping and rinsing a floor finish prior to application of a new finish.
If a stain, scuff mark, or spot of finish residue is encountered during a cleaning or stripping operation, it is also known to employ a string mop to remove the stain, etc., by pressing downward on the handle of the mop to exert a force on the strings and band of the mop head located adjacent the handle. By exerting this force on the mop head and moving the mop back and forth in a scrubbing motion, the stain may sometimes be removed.
One attempt which has been made to improve the utility of this known type of string mop includes the use of an abrasive pad which is generally rectangular in shape and sewn or stitched transversely to one side of the mop assembly under the band along one edge margin of the pad at a midpoint of the mop assembly. In this construction, because the abrasive pad is sewn or stitched to the band of the mop head, it is not easily replaced upon wearing out. Thus, when the pad becomes worn out, this improvement of the conventional string mop is rendered useless. In addition, once a pad has been fastened to the mop assembly, it cannot be replaced with a pad having different characteristics for use in carrying out different types of cleaning operations. For a disclosure of this known type of mop assembly, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,675,932, at column 1, lines 24-45.
Another known mop assembly is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,675,932, and is the subject of that patent. In this known assembly, a layer of abrasive material and a layer of backing material are employed in the central band of a mop head, and an end of the abrasive material is looped back onto itself and sewn thereto to form a transverse loop portion outwardly disposed from the bundle. Thus, as with the previously discussed known device, the abrasive material is sewn or stitched to the assembly in such a way as to form a permanent irreplaceable part of the assembly which can be neither removed nor replaced during the life of the mop assembly.